Touch panel sensor, touch panel device and display device

• US 10,416,826 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2018
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: Ishii, Yasuhiko, Miyazaki, Yuichi, Oohashi, Youichirou
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Teshome, Kebede T
• Application Number:
  US15/957,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20180246600A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

A touch panel sensor includes a substrate and an electrode having a detection electrode and an extraction electrode connected to a detection electrode. The electrode, in any cross-section thereof in the thickness direction, includes a metal layer which occupies at least part of the cross-section. The metal layer of the detection electrode and the metal layer of the extraction electrode are formed integrally at a joint between the detection electrode and the extraction electrode. The detection electrode includes a conductive mesh having conductive wire arranged in a mesh pattern, the conductive wire having a height of not less than 0.2 μm and not more than 2 μm and a width of not less than 1 μm and not more than 5 μm. The conductive wire of the conductive mesh each have a base surface on the substrate side, and a flat top surface located opposite to the base surface.

Claims

1. A touch panel sensor comprising:

(a) a substrate; and

(b) an electrode provided on a flat surface of the substrate and having a detection electrode for use in positional detection and an extraction electrode connected to the detection electrode,

(c) wherein the detection electrode, in any cross-section thereof in a thickness direction, includes a metal layer which occupies at least part of the cross-section,

(d) wherein the detection electrode includes a conductive mesh having first conductors and open areas,

(e) wherein the first conductors have a base surface on the substrate side, a flat top surface located opposite to the base surface, and a pair of side surfaces extending between the base surface and the top surface,

(f) wherein a width of the first conductors is narrower at the base surface than at the top surface,

(g) wherein each of the first conductors includes a first blackened layer on or in the flat top surface,

(h) wherein the extraction electrode includes second conductors each having a second blackened layer on or in a top surface thereof,

(i) wherein the first and second conductors are the same material,

(j) wherein the first and second conductors have the same thickness,

(k) wherein the first and second blackened layers are the same material,

(l) wherein the first and second blackened layers have the same thickness,

(m) wherein a width of the second conductors is larger than a width of the first conductors, and

(n) wherein a width of the second blackened layer is larger than a width of the first blackened layer.

2. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein a width of the first conductors continuously decreases from the top surface toward the base surface.

3. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein a width of an upper portion of the first conductors decreases from the top surface toward the base surface, and a width of a lower portion of the first conductors increases toward the base surface.

4. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein a width of an upper portion of the first conductors increases from the top surface toward the base surface, and a width of a lower portion of the first conductors decreases toward the base surface.

5. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein a width of the first conductors at the flat top surface is W₂, a width of the first conductors at the base surface is W₁, H is a height of the flat top surface measured from the flat surface of the substrate, and the following expression is satisfied:

1≤

H/((W₂−

W₁)/2)≤

2.

6. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein a height/width aspect ratio of a cross-sectional shape of the first conductors is 0.04 to 2.00.

7. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein a height/width aspect ratio of a cross-sectional shape of the first conductors is 0.67 to 7.00.

8. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein the first conductors also include a second blackened layer on or in the base surface.

9. The touch panel sensor according to claim 8, wherein the substrate has a second surface opposite the flat surface and the first conductors are also formed on the second surface.

10. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein the first conductors are formed of copper.

11. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein a height of the flat top surface of the first conductors measured from the flat surface of the substrate is 0.1 μ

m to 2.0 μ

m.

12. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein a width of the first conductors is 1 μ

m to 5 μ

m.

13. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein a surface resistivity of the conductive mesh is not more than 50 Ω

/□

.

14. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is formed of polyethylene terephthalate.

15. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the substrate is 20 μ

m to 500 μ

m.

16. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the substrate is 30 μ

m to 400 μ

m.

17. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein a light transmittance of the substrate in the visible light range is not less than 80%.